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Lieutenant Governor stays HB 267; Weber School District to continue employee negotiations and set June board timeline
Summary
The lieutenant governor issued an administrative stay on House Bill 267 after enough referendum signatures were certified; Weber School District leaders told the board they will continue to engage employee groups and aim to present compensation and benefits recommendations at the June 11 board meeting while noting fiscal-year timing constraints.
The lieutenant governor issued an administrative stay keeping House Bill 267 from taking effect while a statewide referendum petition proceeds, and Weber School District officials told the board they will continue collective-engagement work with employee groups and seek to present salary and benefits recommendations by the district's June 11 meeting.
The stay was triggered after county clerks certified enough referendum signatures to meet statutory thresholds, the superintendent told the board, pausing HB 267's July 1 implementation and moving the final decision to the ballot if certifications are completed by June 21.
The stay matters to Weber employees because HB 267 would have prohibited the district from engaging in collective bargaining with employee organizations. The superintendent said the district plans to continue meeting with the Weber Education Association (WEA), Weber Educational Support Professionals (WESP) and the administrators' association (referred to in the meeting as WAAA) to share proposed salary, cost-of-living and insurance changes for the 2025-26 school year and to develop formal recommendations for the board.
District staff described the statutory referendum process to board members as follows: within five days of a bill's passage citizens may file a referendum application with the lieutenant governor; petitioners then have 30 days after the legislative session to gather signatures equal to 8% of active statewide voters plus 8% of voters in at least 15 of Utah's 29 senate districts; county clerks certify signatures and forward them to the lieutenant governor, who has until June 21 to certify the petition and stay the law if thresholds are met.
Superintendent and HR staff told the board they will continue negotiations and informational meetings this month; they said they plan to return to the board on June 11 with proposed changes that must be in place before the district's fiscal year begins July 1. The superintendent noted that some negotiated agreements do not expire until September, and that the district intends to request an extension of the educational-support agreement through September to align timelines.
Board members asked for a clear timeline and messaging for employees; the superintendent said she will send the board a timeline and share slides and communications with employee groups in the coming days.
No formal board action was recorded at the study session on this item; staff described planned next steps and future agenda items for board consideration.
